Monday, November 26, 2012

Rajabai Tower, Mumbai

The Rajabai Tower is a Clock Tower located within the Fort campus of the University of Mumbai. Recently I visited this and other near by places when in Mumbai.

The construction of tower started in 1829 was completed in 1878. The entire cost of construction of tower was funded by Premchand Roychand a wealthy merchant. The tower was named named after his blind mother Rajabai.

Modeled on Big Ben of UK, the tower was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, an English architect. This 85m tall tower is built using locally available buff coloured Kurla stone. Its architecture is a fusion of Venetian and Gothic styles.

The ground floor has two side room one on either side along with a spiral staircase. At the base it has a square form. The form changes from a square to an octagon towards the top. The tower has a spiral staircase and access to the top is closed.

It houses the library of the University, which has some of the brilliant stained glass windows in Asia. This spectacular structure has been carved beautifully with various sculptures at various stages of tower. The carvings on the external surface of the tower is exquisite.

What a fabulous design! I like the spiraling staircase as it looks from the outside and I can easily imagine the stain glass windows would be lovely. I saw the movie Life of Pi recently and thought of your world and all the amazing temples you so diligently have covered on your blog. Thanks as always for sharing your world. :)

About Me

Love traveling across India and capturing what I see in images. There is so much to discover and one life is not enough. I just love the experience. This is my small attempt to share my experiences with the world.
Contact: rajeshprabh@gmail.com